Amanda Knox set to appear at Vancouver library event: 'How do I truly feel free?'
Article content
Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn't commit. In the process, she became an infamous tabloid story.
Article content
In 2007, in Perugia, Italy, the then-20-year-old Knox and her Italian, boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested for the murder of Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher.
Article content
Both convictions were overturned due to a lack of any evidence linking them to the crime, and the pair were ultimately exonerated by Italy's highest court in 2015.
Article content
Article content
Now, 18 years later, Knox — who the tabloids dubbed 'Foxy Knoxy' — is returning to the story with a new memoir, Free: My Search for Meaning. But instead of just re-litigating what happened to her, she turned her nightmare into a story of healing and hope for others searching for a path out of dark times.
Article content
Article content
Knox, who also wrote the memoir Waiting to be Heard after being released from prison at age 25, decided to return to her story all these years later as she realized people were still interested.
Article content
'I very specifically have tried to keep my personal life very private for years. And I couldn't,' said Knox, 37, who is a mother to two young kids and lives on Vashon Island in Washington state.
Article content
A big sign of continued interest came when paparazzi and media descended on her 2020 wedding.
Article content
Article content
'I tried to keep it really, really locked down,' said Knox recently from her home. 'I made sure that no one who was attending said anything to anyone. I was really strict about it, and even so, paparazzi showed up outside and started taking pictures of me and my various guests and writing articles.
Article content
'My personal life remains in the public eye, even when it shouldn't be. And I'm instead sort of accepting that as part of my reality, and then asking myself, 'OK, what good can come from that?'' said Knox, who upon her release from prison cut her hair off, donned large glasses and worked in a basement bookstore.
Article content
Article content
'What I came up with, is someone who is open and communicative and attempting to articulate really difficult things so that other people can see themselves in my experience, and I can see myself in their experience,' said Knox. 'Part of it is also me trying to feel like I belong to humanity again.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
2nd suspect in Manhattan crypto kidnapping and torture case indicted
NEW YORK (AP) — A second man charged in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian man for his Bitcoin has been indicted. A Manhattan grand jury handed up the indictment Friday against William Duplessie, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. The indictment will remain sealed until his arraignment June 11. Duplessie, 32, faces charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon, police have said. His lawyer, in an email, declined to comment on the indictment. Prosecutors say Duplessie and fellow crypto investor John Woeltz, 37, lured the victim to a posh townhouse in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood on May 6 by threatening to kill his family. The man, a 28-year-old Italian national who has not been named by officials, said he was then held captive for 17 days, as the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high. He eventually agreed to hand over his computer password Friday morning, then managed to flee the home as his captors went to retrieve the device. The grand jury decision followed Duplessie's brief appearance Friday morning in Manhattan court. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. A judge reminded him a protective order was still in effect, though he didn't name who it was concerning. Duplessie, who is listed as a founder or investor at various blockchain-based companies, was escorted in handcuffs and wore a prison jumpsuit. He didn't address the court. Both Duplessie and Woeltz remain in custody. New York City police are also investigating two detectives who worked security at the upscale Manhattan townhouse where the man says he was kidnapped and tortured. The detectives have been placed on modified leave pending the outcome of the inquiry. A lawyer for the labor union representing NYPD detectives said there's 'absolutely no indication' either officer witnessed any of the alleged illegal activity.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
Toronto Grammy-nominated musician opens sandwich shop
Charlotte Day Wilson: singer, songwriter, Juno- and Grammy-nominated musician — and now, co-owner of a new sandwich shop in Roncesvalles. The critically acclaimed Toronto artist, who released her sophomore album 'Cyan Blue' a year ago and recently debuted a documentary on Crave about her Red Bull Symphonic concert, is set to open Tutto Panino — an Italian sandwich takeout spot — this Saturday at 100 Sorauren Ave., the former home of all-day brunch favourite Mitzi's Café. The bollito sandwich will be the highlight at Tutto Panino. Andrew Francis Wallace Toronto Star Wilson co-owns the shop with childhood friend and fitness trainer Paul Liliani; real estate agent Andi Larocca, a former Sam James Coffee Bar co-worker of Liliani's; and chef Kaitlyn Lasagna, who was previously at Pasta Forever and Robinson Bread. When the Mitzi's space became available last year, the group began hosting sandwich pop-ups at Burdock Brewery to test out recipes and build a following. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Music How Charlotte Day Wilson let go of perfection to record stirring new album 'Cyan Blue' The Toronto artist worked with an outside producer for the first time on 'Cyan Blue,' which dropped Friday. Music How Charlotte Day Wilson let go of perfection to record stirring new album 'Cyan Blue' The Toronto artist worked with an outside producer for the first time on 'Cyan Blue,' which dropped Friday. 'The timing of opening this shop has worked out really well for me because I managed to carve out a good chunk of time to be in Toronto and focus on getting the business up and running,' Wilson wrote in an email, as she was out of town when contacted by the Star. 'I've been touring and travelling a ton the past two years and part of the reason I wanted to start this business was to have more of a reason to spend time in Toronto and be surrounded by community.' Lasagna says the inspiration for the shop came from a sandwich they 'fell in love with while in Florence.' The star of the menu is the bollito — a boiled brisket sandwich. 'We do a brisket stewed in a broth and we make a vibrant salsa verde and chili oil.' For now, the shop will be open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sandwiches start at $13, and there's also a build-your-own option. Tutto Panino is taking over the former Mitzi's Cafe on Sorauren Avenue. Andrew Francis Wallace Toronto Star Other offerings include a classic mortadella ($13); a take on the Sicilian caponata consisting of eggplant, capers, olives, whipped ricotta and arugula ($14); and a capocollo with shredded iceberg and cacio e pepe-inspired aioli ($14). Buns are supplied by Brockton Village Bakery, a longtime Portuguese bakery a few blocks north. For dessert, Tutto Panino will serve cannoli ($3.5): the chocolate chip will be a menu mainstay, with rotating seasonal specials (rhubarb is first up). There will also be a drawer of tiramisu, scooped to order ($6). Singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson is one of the owners of Tutto Panino. Aaron Wynia Adding a personal touch, the shop will also have a record player. 'It was important for me to put a bit of my musical touch into the space because I believe music plays such an important role in creating a welcoming environment,' wrote Wilson. 'The music we'll play will be anything that sets a warm tone and makes people feel good, with a very wide variety of artists and genres.' Tutto Panino joins a growing list of small, neighbourhood sandwich shops that have opened in quieter residential parts of the city — like Vilda's in Beaconsfield Village, Lambo's Deli and the neighbouring Hot Pork in Trinity Bellwoods, and Masa Deli in Dovercourt Village (now with a second location in Leslieville). While fried chicken sandwiches and burgers — designed to survive bike delivery — dominated during the early days of the pandemic, this new wave of sandwich spots is built more for in-person visits, ideal for a mid-errand lunch stop. Lasagna says the sandwiches at Tutto Panino aren't overstuffed and are not designed for virality, but a rather something a customer can eat more than once a week. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Co-owners chef Kaitlyn Lasagna, left, Andi Larocca, and Paul Liliani days before the grand opening of Tutto Panino. Andrew Francis Wallace Toronto Star 'The neigbhourhood really connected with Mitzi's and before that the space used to be a butcher, so it was a community hub,' said Liliani. 'The idea was born from the location, these corner spots in residential pockets.' 'That corner spot is a beacon,' added Larocca. 'It's our hope to connect with as many people and have a place where people can come multiple times a week like a coffee shop. The space is only 300 square feet so we can just fit a snacking counter, but we'll have a patio. Sorauren is an amazing street. I Deal Coffee is just up the street where there's the farmers' market at the (Sorauren) Park.' Gta Food Crawl: 4 delicious breakfast sandwiches to try in Toronto Many restaurants and food stalls in Toronto are creating their own versions of the humble breakfast sandwich. Gta Food Crawl: 4 delicious breakfast sandwiches to try in Toronto Many restaurants and food stalls in Toronto are creating their own versions of the humble breakfast sandwich. 'I remember going to Mitzi's a long time ago and thinking it was such a charmed spot,' wrote Wilson. 'I grew up spending lots of time in Roncesvalles so it's a very familiar area to me. I've got lots of family friends here. We're super blessed to have this amazing location with a soul already built into it and we hope we can honour the space that Mitzi's once occupied so lovingly.'
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
Why ‘wrench attacks' on wealthy crypto holders are on the rise
The headline-grabbing tale of an Italian man who said he was kidnapped and tortured for weeks inside an upscale Manhattan townhouse by captors seeking his bitcoin highlights a dark corner of the cryptocurrency world: the threat of violence by thieves seeking digital assets. The alleged attempted robbery is known as a 'wrench attack.' It's a name popularized by an online comic that mocked how easily high-tech security can be undone by hitting someone with a wrench until they give up passwords.
